Rand Paul: No U.S. Interests at Stake in Syria

washingtontimes.com ^ | August 28, 2013 | Stephen Dinan

[BarnacleCenturion]

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said Wednesday that the U.S. has no direct national security interests at stake in Syria’s civil war, as he cautioned President Obama against ordering military strikes on the Middle East nation.

Mr. Paul, possibly the leading anti-war Republican in the Senate, said the U.S. should condemn use of chemical weapons — an accusation rebels have made against the Syrian regime — but said if a decision to take military action is made, it should come from Congress, not from the White House.

“We should ascertain who used the weapons and we should have an open debate in Congress over whether the situation warrants U.S. involvement,” he said.

“The war in Syria has no clear national security connection to the United States and victory by either side will not necessarily bring in to power people friendly to the United States,”

[PaleoBob]

It’s fine to say there is no US interest at stake in a certain situation. It costs nothing to say so. But if you’re gonna do it, then tell us where there IS a US interest at stake.

Five seconds before Flight 10 hit the tower the US didn’t have much interest at stake in Afghanistan. Then, all of a sudden, people in NYC had to choose whether to burn to death or jump 89 stories.

When I hear Rand Paul address all that I’ll have some reason to imagine that a do-nothing foreign policy might work.

[Notary Sojac]

Check post 31 above for the reason why we had very little at stake in Afghanistan, even after the planes hit the towers.

[RedMDer]

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[tsowellfan]

Not to side with Obama or against Rand Paul, but is this really true? Certainly the situation in Syria affects Israel and other countries in the region friendly to us.

Given Obama's track record I think whoever takes over in Syria would be even less friendly than the current regime, you know, dragging our dead Ambassador in the streets and all.

I hope you don't think Obama's doing this for the sake of Israel. Everything Obama has done in the last 5 years has been negative for both Israel AND the United States.

I have more faith in Netanyahu as a leader than I do our current Commander In Chief. I doubt Netanyahu will strike Syria with "just enough muscle as to not be mocked".

That Obama statement there says a lot.

[tsowellfan]

Five seconds before Flight 10 hit the tower the US didn’t have much interest at stake in Afghanistan. Then, all of a sudden, people in NYC had to choose whether to burn to death or jump 89 stories.

True! But you are comparing apples to oranges. You see, those terrorists we chased out of Afghanistan are the opposition to the very regime we are thinking about bombing in Syria.

Why would we want to help them yet again?